Review
'Bernard is keenly aware of the power of persuasive images, and her insistence on complexity and integrity is a consistent theme throughout the book.'
- The Independent

"What a valuable aid to documentary filmmakers. The importance of a topic won't cut it if the story isn't told well and Bernard's book cuts right to the chase."
- Paul Stekler, producer/director of "George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire"

"Sheila Curran Bernard's Documentary Storytelling is an essential, pragmatic, common-sense approach to making non-fiction films for the student and/or first-time filmmaker, based on the author's deep awareness of documentary film history and theory, and her intimate knowledge of how today's most important documentarians formulate their works."
- Gerald Peary, film critic, The Boston Phoenix

"Sheila Curran Bernard's ability to dissect a wide range of narrative approaches and explore the elements that make dramatic stories so compelling
make this guide invaluable for documentary filmmakers as well as anyone who uses information and evidence to portray real events. But the value of this book goes beyond its service to story tellers; the consumers of documentary films and all journalism can benefit by more fully understanding the narrative structures that we all use to construct order and meaning in the world."
- Pennee Bender, Media Director, Center for Media and Learning, City University of New York, The Graduate Center

Review
"What a valuable aid to documentary filmmakers. The importance of a topic won't cut it if the story isn't told well and Bernard's book cuts right to the chase."
- Paul Stekler, producer/director of "George Wallace: Settin' the Woods on Fire"

“Sheila Curran Bernard's Documentary Storytelling is an essential, pragmatic, common-sense approach to making non-fiction films for the student and/or first-time filmmaker, based on the author's deep awareness of documentary film history and theory, and her intimate knowledge of how today's most important documentarians formulate their works.”
- Gerald Peary, film critic, The Boston Phoenix

"Sheila Curran Bernard's ability to dissect a wide range of narrative approaches and explore the elements that make dramatic stories so compelling
make this guide invaluable for documentary filmmakers as well as anyone who uses information and evidence to portray real events. But the value of this book goes beyond its service to story tellers; the consumers of documentary films and all journalism can benefit by more fully understanding the narrative structures that we all use to construct order and meaning in the world."
- Pennee Bender, Media Director, Center for Media and Learning, City University of New York, The Graduate Center

Book Description
As the market for documentaries expands, so does the challenge to create memorable, compelling films. Story and structure are the most important (and least expensive) tools available. This guide shows how to make stronger, more compelling documentaries through improved storytelling techniques. It offers a writerly perspective to filmmakers at every stage of production, from concept and treatment to shooting and postproduction. It is intended for the novice as well as the experienced filmmaker and is applicable to a wide variety of documentary styles and forms.

Documentary Storytelling fills a critical void on the bookshelf, offering an in-depth guide to story and structure as they apply not to Hollywood screenplays but to documentary films. Story is what turns a subject or an idea into a film; it's what keeps an audience watching a topic they might never have thought would interest them. Written for anyone working in documentary, this book offers practical advice for all stages of production. It's filled with real-world examples drawn from the author's own career and from the experiences of some of today's top documentarians.

*Offers in-depth analysis and tools for applying concepts of story and structure to documentary material
*Interviews with well-known filmmakers give unique perspectives on nonfiction filmmaking
*Covers a wide range of documentary styles

Book Info
Text provides an in-depth look at story and structure as applied to films based on factual material and the drama of real life. For readers working in documentary films. Softcover.

ANNOTATION

Audience: Novice to advanced documentary filmmakers.

FROM THE PUBLISHER